Primoridal
by azazemon
Summary: When an ancient creature finds new allies in The Light, The Team will be forced to rely not only on their own abilities, but also help from the two potential allies also hunting it. As time goes on, not only will their bonds of family and friendship be tested, but the sins of the past will come full circle in the future.
1. Chapter 1

A flash of light, followed by an explosion, lit up the D.C. night sky. As the building fell the fleeing civilians made way for the approaching officers and firemen.

"Um...I-I think we need more backup over here!" The chief squeaked into his radio gazing at the sight before him.

Standing at 8 feet, the creature before him had wild, spiky white hair, piercing, white, pupil-less eyes, black sclera, and red skin with an abnormally large nose. It wore traditional red samurai armor with wings on it's back that measured 20 feet 's clawed hands held an oodachi engulfed in red flames. Turning its head towards the city's finest, it's scowl turned into a twisted, toothy grin.

The officers and firemen all turned to leave, but the beast quickly cut them off. Pointing its sword at them it let out an ominous chuckle.

"Be consumed by fire!" It roared raising up its sword.

From the wreckage of the building leapt a young man, japanese in origin and looked to be in his early late teens, lean, and looked to be near 6 feet tall. He had light grey eyes and short, black hair that stopped right above his eyes. He wore a sleeveless black shirt, armored gloves and boots, and a brown harness that held two katanas, both of which he held in his hands. An old, black piece of cloth covered his mouth and nose. He quickly sheathed his weapons and made a series of hand signs. The fire behind him suddenly jumped out at the creature, who then used his sword to block it, causing another explosion.

"Get out of here! You'll only be in my way!" he yelled at them while the creature was preoccupied.

"HQ! Where's that back-up?" The chief squawked into his radio.

"Every other available officer is dealing with another incident in the city. The Justice League has been called and is en route!"

"Dealing with what?" he asked.

Across the city another battle raged on. One of the combatants wore the same type of armor as the winged creature, but it's face was hidden behind its kabuto where only a pair of glowing, red eyes could be seen. Standing just a bit over 6 feet, it pointed its katana towards the figure above it, the light of the moon reflecting off its blue armor.

Floating in the air above his combatant was a young man, who stood at exactly 6 feet. He wore black boots, pants, gloves, and a metal cuirass which was all covered by his black trench coat. He wore a black, full face biker helmet, lifting up the visor to show brown skin and a pair of piercing, golden eyes. As he outstretched his hand towards the squad of police officers, one of the squad cars began to rise towards him.

"Excuse me gents, I need to borrow this." He said.

The armored samurai jumped in the air towards him, his sword emitting a low hum, but the floating stranger thrust his free hand forward. An unseen force knocked the samurai into an adjacent building, where he used the destruction to disappear into the shadows. His foe remained still for some time, carefully looking around for any sign of him, slowly raising the police car above his head.

"Okay, we'll play _that_ game." He said bringing his free arm up and pushing it down. A few of the officers closer to the battle were suddenly thrown to the ground.

"Whoa! Hey! What are you doing?" One of the farther officers asked.

"Can't...move..." One replied.

The samurai, who planned to strike his foe from behind, was also thrown into the ground.

"Wombo Combo!" His foe yelled throwing the police car at him.

"Now for the coup de grace." He said bringing both his hands back.

"You might want to hold off on that." Superman said flying up with Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter.

"This does not concern any of you." The young man said without looking at them.

"When your battle comes here and puts innocent lives at risk, then we become very concerned. Now stand down." Superman ordered.

"How to put this in words you'll understand?" he asked, then suddenly turned thrust his arm towards them. They braced for impact, but were unprepared for the force that barreled into them, knocking them back. Superboy, Wonder Girl and Miss Martian emerged from their hiding spots in an attempt to ambush him, but he quickly turned and sent the same invisible force at them, knocking them back to the ground. There was a banging sound coming from under the now demolished police car. With a final, might kick, the samurai sent the car flying towards his foe, who simply threw it to the side and quickly flew towards him. His assault was cut short as Superboy recovered fast enough to tackle him out of the sky. Superboy felt something throw him off the stranger, who once again pushed his hand down and threw Superboy into the ground.

Superman, Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter recovered from the earlier barrage and headed for the stranger. The samurai then turned the flat of his sword to face the group, muttered a quick chant in a deep, raspy voice, and ran two fingers from the hilt to the tip. The stranger was quick to put his visor back down as a blinding light emanated from the samurai's sword. When the light faded, both the samurai and the stranger were gone.

"Where'd they go?" Wonder Girl asked looking around.

"We'll find out later. For now, let's go help the others. This time, we can't let them escape." Superman said as he flew off.

With both weapons drawn the young man made multiple swipes and lunges as he attempted to strike the creature. Many of these attempts were either blocked or dodged as the creature would flip, jump, or hop backwards on one leg with the other bent and parallel to the ground. It's arm outstretched, palm facing its opponent, the other arm reared back with the oodachi pointing at him. In one smooth motion it performed a back flip, and as it swung its sword the tip of the blade dug into the ground, and a streak of bright red fire leapt from the sword and flew down the street towards the young man. He jumped out the way, but the fire continued until a reached a building and exploded. The civilians inside screamed in horror as their refuge began to crumble.

He suddenly felt two things bolt past him towards the falling building and the occupants inside vanished one by one. The creature was suddenly smashed into a building by a large blast of water.

"I suggest you do not get back up." Aqualad warned standing beside Aquaman.

The young man saw his chance, and went for the kill, but stopped before a sudden burst of smoke. From the smoke emerged Batman, Nightwing, Batgirl and Robin.

"Slow down there cowboy. Let's have a little chat." Nightwing said.

"Stand aside interlopers. I would have that creature's head." He said pointing his sword at them.

"We can't let you do that. What you will do, is come with us for questioning. Now drop your weapons." Batman warned.

Before another word could be uttered, all four were suddenly thrown to the side as the young man in the biker helmet landed beside his masked friend.

"Did you destroy him?" the masked one asked.

His answer came when the blue samurai landed in front of the rising creature, who now sported the same, twisted grin as before.

"That answer your question?"

"What happened? I thought you said you could take him out?" he asked angrily.

"I had...interference." he replied pointing at the approaching figures of Superman, Superboy, Wonder Woman, Wonder Girl, Martian Manhunter and Miss Martian.

"This fight is over. All of you, lay down your weapons and you will not be harmed." Superman ordered.

The creature let out a boisterous laugh before looking at the two strangers.

"It seems I'll have to claim your head at another time, cur." Its voice had a deep undertone.

The samurai quickly turned the flat of his blade towards his opponents again.

"No! Don't let him-" the words were barely out of Superman's mouth when the samurai's fingers were already at the tip of it's blade.

"That's our cue." The helmet wearing stranger said grabbing his accomplice by the arm as the light from the sword once again blinded everyone.

When the light faded, along with the spots in their eyes, all four were no where to be seen.

"Well...that could've gone better." Flash said as he began to help the people they rescued out of another building.

"Let's get the rest of these fires out and regroup at the watchtower. We need to know what we're up against." Superman said.

As everyone began to help, in the sewers of the city, the two young men continued on their way. The masked one moved at a slower pace as he tried to get used to the darkness of the sewers after being blinded by the light.

"Bet you wish you had one of these now huh?" His accomplice teased.

"Amon, if you weren't blinded like the rest of us, you could've taken them out while we were all distracted."

"I'm gonna poke a hole in your logic by stating that both the tin man and that walking canary-puppet were also unaffected. It would've been 2v1, odds I wouldn't overcome by the time everyone had their sight back and us in them. Be patient Katsuro, if anything this showed that we now have enough power on our side to bring this little chase to an end." Amon said happily.

"If that's the case then why didn't you end it right then and there?" Katsuro asked incredulously.

"I believe I've already answered your question."

"Whatever. What now? I don't foresee we'll get the drop on them like that again."

"Yeah, and now we have the Justice League on our collective necks to boot. We were lucky this time, they had no idea what we could do so repelling them was simple. It'll be a fight next time, so let's avoid that."

"I'm hoping you have a plan to take out that abomination without using a blade then?"

"Of course. It's time to make use of your reconnaissance skills."

"Finding them will be simple, but I don't see how that ends without violence."

"Trust me, it will end with violence, just not yet. They came here for a reason, so let's find that reason, take it or whatever the case may be, and give them a reason to come to us instead."

They rounded a corner and stopped. Amon removed a glove and put his hand against the wall, removing it to reveal his glowing hand print. Part of the wall slid up, revealing a small bunker complete with a few beds, a bathroom, and a kitchen.

"Sounds like a plan, but where to start?" Katsuro asked laying on one of the beds.

"I...actually don't know. I guess a museum?" Amon suggested, putting a pot of water on the stove.

"It would be a good place to start. We can only assume whatever he's here for must be something ancient."

"And museums are all about removing ancient artifacts that were probably better off buried or hidden from the world."

"What are you going to do while I'm doing that?"

"Lex Luthor is hosting a science fair for all the little precocious brats to bring their retro erupting volcanoes. Among his guests is Theodore Montoya."

"Ah, so it looks like we'll both be hunting our targets tomorrow."

"More like stalking."

"Maybe we could see about scavenging something from the ruins of the Hall of Justice." Katsuro suggested.

"It's been two months, I'm pretty sure anything worth anything has already been reclaimed. Plus they're already looking at rebuilding it I hear."

At the Watchtower, the League and the Team were going over the recorded video of their battle.

"Man, with a nose that long I'd probably be as upset as whatever that thing is."Impulse said.

"A better question would be what _it_ is?" Aqualad asked.

"It's called a Tengu, a mythological creature from Japanese mythology. Over the centuries there have been mixed feelings on whether these things are benevolent or malevolent spirits." Batman answered.

"Looks pretty malevolent to me, especially with that nose." Flash said jokingly.

"What about the other three?" Superman asked.

"The one in the blue armor, most likely a samurai. The kid with the sword, I could also say samurai, or a ninja-"

"Seriously? A ninja? That is so crash!" Impulse exclaimed in excitement.

"As for the fourth person,"Batman continued as if there'd been no interruption,"I'm not sure. All that can be said is that he uses some form of telekinesis."

"It didn't feel like telekinesis. When we where knocked away from him there was no resisting it. It felt like whatever he threw at us pulled us with it as it traveled, but grew weaker over time." Superman said.

"We'll need to remain vigilant then, at least until we have a better understanding of who these guys are and what they can do. Aqualad, I have no doubt that all four of these people are still in the city. We'll need to keep a sharp eye open, especially for this Tengu character. He seems to be the one that caused the most destruction." Batman ordered.

"I'll deploy a team or two to survey the city Batman." Aqualad responded.

"Good. Tomorrow, Lex Luthor is holding a science fair in the hopes of gaining more support to secure his seat as the new UN Secretary-General. Along with that, the Museum of Natural History will be opening a few new exhibits to the public. I suggest you start there."

The next day greeted everyone with a clear skies and a surprisingly happy day despite the destruction of last night. The streets of D.C. was packed with more traffic than usual thanks to the parents wanting to get their child to either the science fair or the museum. Katsuro was one of the first to arrive when the museum doors opened, along with Superboy, Miss Martian, and Beast Boy, who was disguised as a pigeon. Katsuro wore a black, v-neck shirt, along with white pants and shoes. He wore an earpiece carried a small notepad with a pin, giving the impression of possibly being a journalist.

"I think that's our guy." Superboy whispered to her.

"Black hair, gray eyes, lean build. That's gotta be him, but where's the other one?"she asked looking around.

Over at the fair, Amon was walking around and looking at the projects many of the children brought in. He wore a black sweater, blue jeans, and black shoes, along with short black hair. He also wore an earpiece and carried a tape recorder in his hands, periodically mumbling something into it. Also at the fair was Blue Beetle, Robin, Static and Wonder girl, all in their civilian clothing.

"So...do we even know what this guy looks like?"Wonder girl asked.

"Brown skin, gold eyes. That's pretty much all they saw before he put his visor back down." Robin said.

"Hey guys, that's probably him right there then."Blue Beetle said pointing at Amon, who was glaring at a paper mache volcano and mumbling something into his tape recorder.

"Robin to the Watchtower, we've acquired the target." Robin whispered into his communicator.

"So has Alpha team. Either you all are getting better, or these guys aren't ones for blending in." Aqualad replied.

"What's our next move?"

"Same as Alpha squad, watch him closely and see what he's up to."

"Affirmative, Robin out."

Had the purpose of his museum visit been for leisure, Katsuro would have enjoyed the plethora of exhibits throughout the museum. Unfortunately, he knew he was there to locate either his prey, or a clue as to what they might be seeking. Feigning interest in the exhibits but still keeping up with him were Superboy and Miss Martian, with the former using his super hearing to listen in should he start talking.

"So...I'm at the museum, and aside from possibly buying some cotton candy, I'm not really seeing anything promising." Katsuro said.

"Likewise, I've already come across some brat's volcano project. It's still early, and you have the newest exhibits to look at. I hear they uncovered something from Japan. I think it was from one of your many gods named Tsukuyomi or something like that."

"Kinda wished you mentioned that before so I'm not walking through this place looking lost."

"Might help if you smiled and dropped the scowl."

Amon felt an unnatural shiver traveling down his spine and quickly looked around. He was certain the feeling of being watched wan't something he was imagining.

"I want to get closer to hear what he's saying, but he seems to be on guard now." Robin said.

"Wait, I think my beetle may be able to try and listen in." Blue beetle said.

 _You are correct Jaime Reyes. Accessing his communications now._ The scarab said.

As Katsuro turned the corner and entered the new Japanese exhibit, he stopped. Standing on the other side of the room deep in conversation with the museum curator was a tall, slender man with long white hair tied in a ponytail and icy, blue eyes. He wore a crimson suit and pointed towards the orb on a pillar in the exhibit. He looked like a regular man to everyone else, but Katsuro knew who he really was.

"Amon, I've found him. I've found Noburonori." he whispered, attempting to mask his rising anger.

"There? At the museum? I don't see any smoke or hear screaming. Is he posing as an kabuki prop or something?" Amon asked.

"No, he's in his human form talking to the curator."

"Human form? He can do that? I thought they could only turn into animals and go spirit mode?"

"No, they're right up there on the trickster list with kitsunes."

"Well I'll call that an awesome turn of events, especially after last night's fiasco. Any idea what he's looking for?"

"Can't hear him, but he keeps pointing and looking at one of the exhibits. Looks like it's called...the orb of Tsukuyomi."

"Called it."

"Well you get a gold sticker for your prediction. Has Montoya showed up?"

"Yeah, he and Luthor are handing out the medals now. The brat with the volcano came in first."

"So, can we assume they're in cahoots with Lex Luthor?"

"Yeah, so it looks like we'll now have the Light to contend with. We're going to get very popular at this rate."

"So what's the plan? Should we steal the orb since he's practically drooling over it."

"Duh, but we'll do it tonight, after they lock everything up."

"I can steal the orb, you should continue to tail Montoya and see what kind of deal he's making with Luthor."

"No dice my fugitive friend, you know as well as I why I can't leave you alone. We'll bot be there to steal it tonight. It'll be a party, you bring the chips, I'll bring the dip."

"And we'll bring the punch." Superboy said quietly.


	2. Chapter 2

The security guard locked the last door into the museum, and began making his rounds. When the sound of his whistling grew faint, Amon and Katsuro emerged from their hiding spot in the bushes. Amon kept watch as Katsuro began picking the lock, but didn't take much notice of the green owl perched on the roof observing them. Once inside, they carefully made their way towards the exhibit, dodging the security cameras on the way. They reached their destination and Katsuro checked to see if there were any hidden security between them and the orb. When they discovered there weren't any, they paused.

"I'm finding it very hard to believe the only thing between us and this thing was a door and some poorly placed cameras." Amon said suspiciously.

"Trap?"

"Most likely, but let's get the orb and burn that bridge when we get there." Amon said stretching out his hand. The orb rose from the pedestal and floated into the sack he was carrying.

"Well well, what do we have here?" Robin asked, emerging from the shadows. He was joined by Superboy, Miss Martian, Beast Boy, Wonder Girl, Blue Beetle, Lagoon Boy, and Static.

"I really have to question the wisdom in actually making this easy for us." Amon said turning to face them.

"Mostly to see just what kind of people we're dealing with. Now, put that orb back and come with us. That samurai isn't here to cover your escape this time." Robin demanded.

"Oh...you have yet to see exactly what it is your dealing with." Amon said menacingly.

The air around them suddenly looked warped and bent. Katsuro quickly grabbed a pillar as Amon clenched his fist. Everything in the room not nailed down was suddenly pulled into a spot on the ground the front of the young heroes, including them. Amon then grabbed Katsuro and flew through the one of the glass windows, sounding an alarm.

"Of course the kept _that_ alarm on." he said in annoyance.

"We also have company." Katsuro said looking back.

Both teams recovered and were already closing in on them, with the flightless members riding on Sphere.

"Land, we can take them on." Katsuro said unsheathing his swords.

"Not really them I'm worried about at the moment." Amon said landing.

"What do you-oh." Katsuro said looking around.

Surrounding them, with swords drawn, were a dozen warriors dressed in black.

"Who are those guys?" Wonder girl asked as they landed in the middle of the circle.

"From the way those two are standing, I don't think they're reinforcements." Robin said.

"And the penny drops." Amon said.

"Kill the _nukenin_!" One yelled.

Amon quickly pushed both hands out towards his sides, forming a bubble around himself and Katsuro.

"You ninja really have the worst timing." Amon said as they began throwing stars and shooting arrows, which would simply stop once it hit the barrier and fall to the ground.

A few of the ninja began chanting and making hand signals before firing balls of ice and fire at them, which Amon and Katsuro actually had to dodge.

"So who do we fight?" Lagoon Boy asked.

"We need those two alive. Take out the ninja." Robin ordered.

Upon hearing this, a few of the ninja turned their attention onto them, drew their swords, and attacked. As the battle raged on, one of the ninja moved to strike Lagoon boy from behind, but Katsuro appeared to block his attack. Lagoon boy quickly turned around and helped dispose of his would-be attacker, but Katsuro was gone before he could thank him. Soon, the attacking ninja were forced to retreat back into the shadows.

"Are they gone?" Superboy asked.

"For now. They know when an attempt on my life has failed." Katsuro said.

"Thanks for saving Lagoon Boy back there, but we still can't let you go." Robin said.

"True, but with the orb of Tsukuyomi that Noborunori covets in our possession, he will come to us." Katsuro said.

"Noborunori, he's that creature you were fighting last night. The Tengu?" Superboy asked.

"Yes, and I have a vendetta to settle with him. We are both sorry for bringing this to your town, but I will let nothing stop me from achieving my goal."

"Despite that, we have come across some troubling information regarding Noborunori and a certain businessman I'm after." Amon added.

"That guy who was next to Lex Luthor at the fair earlier? Is he who you're specifically after?" Robin asked.

"Yes, Theodore Montoya and I have...history, but now I believe he and Noborunori have joined forces with an organization called The Light. I assume you're familiar with them?"

"All too well." Superboy answered.

"So then what is it Noborunori wants with that orb?" Miss Martian asked.

"The orb of Tsukuyomi could give one that can harness it the power to control the moon and the tides. With it, one could cause catastrophic tsunamis across the globe, or even bring the moon crashing into the earth. It's something that should have remained hidden from the world, but is unfortunately one of many such artifacts paraded in front of unknowing civilians." Katsuro explained.

"Since Noborunori already contains the sword of Amaterasu, which you all saw for yourselves last the night the destructive capabilities of that particular artifact, we saw fit to take this one before he made his move." Amon said.

"If you guys really are against these guys and The Light, why not seek us out? We can help you, especially against something like this." Superboy offered.

"Even though you are the good guys, our method will end in violence, and that's something we know you will oppose. Despite that, Noborunori is an opponent who's crosshairs none of you want to be in." Katsuro replied.

"We really should get going before our assailants come back for another round. With that being said however, we can accompany you somewhere more secure than this open field. If what we all believe about Montoya and Noborunori working with The Light to be true, then I expect you will all come face to face with our enemies regardless." Amon said.

"And the orb?" Robin asked.

"Katsuro can place wards on it that will leave it virtually useless to Noborunori, but even then I don't see it any safer with you. I mean, unless you guys have a some kind of weird, dimensional vault or a space station, we'll just hand on to it." Amon said.

"Hold that thought." Robin said.

Moments later, Aqualad showed up, along with Black Canary.

"I take it you are the two from last night?" she asked.

"Yes, we are." Amon answered.

"Robin informs us that this orb you have is what the Tengu here?" Aqualad asked.

"Correct, and I'm sure he also informed you of our reluctance to relinquish it." Amon answered.

"I assure you friend, we are not your enemies. The fact that your enemies have joined forces with ours means that we should also work together." Aqualad said raising his hands peacefully.

"He makes a good point, but I think we've been here long enough. I'd rather we not have the misfortune of both Noborunori and my assailants on top of us. I have not warded the orb yet, so he is able to sense it." Katsuro said.

"Then as a show of trust, come with us to our headquarters where we can better protect you and hide the orb. We know nothing of The Light's new allies, and it appears our goals will align in stopping whatever they have planned." Aqualad offered.

Amon turned to Katsuro,"You're in far more danger than I am buddy. I'll leave the decision to you."

Katsuro pondered the situation they were facing for some time before he replied,"You're right about needing to work together against our enemies, I'll give you that. If it turns out you can protect the orb better than us, then I'll ward it and hand it over. If not, we're keeping it, but I'll be fair about my decision. An object this powerful cannot fall into Noborunori's hands, or any wrong hands for that matter."

"Then if you'll follow us, we'll use a nearby zeta-beam to transport you to the Watchtower." Black Canary instructed.

"Zeta what?" Amon and Katsuro asked in Unison.

Upon arriving at the Watchtower, they were greeting with the remaining members of The Team and The League, and greeting that caused both boys to reconsider their agreement.

Superman was the first to give them a warm welcome,"Welcome to the Watchtower. It's good see the both of you in a more civil environment."

"Yeah...good to be here, with all of you present." Amon replied with a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

"This isn't a tactic to intimidate. With the battle that went on last night, as well as the discovery of this orb, everyone wanted to be present to get more information." Batman informed them as he pulled out the computer.

"Any information you can tell us about the orb and your enemy would be appreciated." Aqualad said.

"His name is Noborunori, a Tengu from a place we call 'The Otherworld.' Four years ago, he was able to cross over from his world into ours and began to look for the artifacts of four residents of heaven: Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, Susanoo, and Ame-no-Uzume. As of right now, he possesses the blade of Amaterasu, also called spirit fire. If you remember the fight from last night, not only will the fire expelled from the sword explode, but it will burn the soul of whoever the blade pierces. It will most certainly result in the victim's death since very few people can actually endure it." Katsuro explained.

"What happens if he acquire's all four artifacts?"Wonder Woman asked.

"I don't know, but with each artifact giving the wielder greater power over fire, water, earth and wind, I can't see it being good." Katsuro answered.

"What information do you have on the Tengu, Noborunori?" Batman asked.

"I'm sure you've already done research to get an idea of what a Tengu is, but public knowledge only scratches the surface. They're very tall, very agile, and very strong fighters. The wings on their back allow them to not only fly away, but re-position themselves for a better angle of attack. They're cunning, cruel, and generally view mankind in a negative light. They can shift between their true form, a human form, and an animal form, which they use to ambush their enemies. None of this is as dangerous as their magical abilities."

"I didn't think they would be able to cast spells." Zatanna said.

"I guess that's a term you can use to describe it. The Tengu were the ones who taught the first ninja how to manipulate the elements and their ki, which would later on become known as ninjutsu. Unlike us, Tengu don't need to weave handsigns or mutter incantations." Katsuro added.

"If he can perform the same magical feats as you, would he be able to undo the wards you place on the orb?" Batman asked.

"Over time, yes, but he wouldn't be able to touch it until he did. This would just be another layer of defense to keep him from it."

"What about his allies, like those other ninja who attacked you?" Superboy asked.

"Those...aren't his allies. They hunt me because I'm a runaway ninja, a nukenin. Those ninja come from my...well my former village. Every clan has certain techniques and training that set us apart from each other. A runaway such as myself is not only a liability for my clan, but an important source of information to rival clans and our enemies." Katsuro said sadly.

"I can't imagine anyone choosing to walk down a path like that willingly." Wonder Woman said.

"It was my choice, and I'd do it again to be where I am now trying to stop Noborunori. My clan, and whoever else might be hunting me, is perhaps the biggest reason we wanted to keep our distance from you all. I didn't want to drag any of you into this."

"Well, except for me." Amon laughed.

"What about you? What's your part in all of this?" Batman asked Amon.

"Theodore Montoya is the reason for my being here, and it just so happens he's strangely allied with that Tengu character. Think of him as a wannabe Lex Luthor, without all the charm. His company, Next-Gen, likes to sell themselves as being a research facility totally committed to inventing the next wireless toaster or something like that. Of course, like all villains, that's a cover. Their real threat lies in weapons, genetics research, and cloning. In fact, a few years ago he attempted to do what the Light and the Reach tried to with humans here by finding who had the potential for Meta-genes. Luckily, that blew up in his face...literally." Amon answered.

"Then we need to find the last two artifacts of the heavens, and get more insight as to why Mr. Montoya has signed on with the Light." Batman ordered looking at Aqualad.

"Understood Batman." Aqualad said.

"So I guess the big question is, will you two help us?" Superman asked.

"Sure, we'd probably get more done working together, but one recurring issue we have when it comes to making any progress are the plethora of assassins after my friend here." Amon said pointing at Katsuro.

"He's right, they like to appear at the absolute worst times. They've cost us our goal on more than one occasion. I don't see myself being anything other than a hindrance by being around you all." Katsuro sounded disappointed.

"Then for the time being you should stay up here and try to see if you can discover more things about this orb, or even the location of the other two. It's not protocol, especially with two new faces such as yourselves, without either of you we'd just be flailing in the dark until something popped up." Black Canary offered.

"I...thank you. It would be nice to relax for a bit while we figure this out." Katsuro smiled.

Meanwhile, at LexCorp, Noborunori, still in his human form, sat in a chair in front of Lex Luthor's desk swirling a drink in his hand. Sitting next to him was a slightly middle-aged looking man with green eyes and brown hair with a hairline in the early stages of recession. He wore a gray suit and was resting his head on his hands, boredom etched across his face.

"I should have grabbed the orb right then and there." Noborunori said, a hint of anger in voice,"Now that wretched cur and his abomination of a colleague have it."

"Come now Noborunori, had you taken it our adversaries, to include the Justice League, would've been at your throat in moments." The man responded.

"Had it not been for your failed pet Montoya, that cur would have been done in by his kind long ago. These failures are on your hands!" Noborunori said angrily, glaring at Montoya.

"Gentlemen, please, now is not the time to bicker amongst ourselves or point fingers."Luthor said calmly.

"True, I must now turn my attention to the last two artifacts. Even when I possess the last two however, I will still need to retrieve the orb." Noborunori said, calming down slightly.

"And we'll do just that, rest assured. We must tread carefully though, especially if those two have most likely joined up with the League. They have proven...persistent in thwarting our past plans." Luthor said, rising up and turning to look out the window.

"Ah yes, the freaks of nature that has the world eating out of their hand." Montoya sounded annoyed.

"For the time being, yes, but may I presume the work you're doing will help us to rectify that problem Mr. Montoya?" Luthor asked.

"Even as we speak my scientists are hard at work on our little...project." Montoya said with a smile.

"If that boy catches wind of your little project, he'll annihilate your base like last time. Best be on your guard Montoya." Noborunori warned.

"I'm well aware of the danger Amon poses, but not worry. I learn from my mistakes." Montoya said defensively.

"We will see Mr. Montoya. In the mean time, I need to know everything I can about these two gentlemen. Their strengths, but especially, their weaknesses." Luthor said, turning around to reveal a cruel smile.


End file.
